Love poetry · 8 chapters
Song of Solomon
Poems celebrate desire, beauty, and mutual affection. Begin with the literary picture of human love before considering later Jewish and Christian symbolic readings.
Historical & literary context
Associated with Solomon in its title; authorship and composition are debated. Its imagery draws on ancient Israel’s landscape and wedding culture.
Introduction and study notes are commentary, not Scripture.
The shape of the book
- 1–2 · Desire and delight
- 3–5 · Seeking and celebrating the beloved
- 6–8 · Love’s strength and commitment
A passage to begin with
Song of Solomon 8:6-7
6Set me as a seal over your heart, as a seal upon your arm. For love is as strong as death, its jealousy as unrelenting as Sheol. Its sparks are fiery flames, the fiercest blaze of all. 7Mighty waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot sweep it away. If a man were to give all the wealth of his house for love, his offer would be utterly scorned.
Berean Standard Bible · Public domain
Read the full chapterThink it through
How does the poem portray love as more than something that can be bought?